Joysticks and joystick interfaces are known in the art which translate a shaft position of the joystick, as manipulated by a user, to an X-Y coordinate position. Joysticks of this type have been used for many tasks, from video game control, wherein the X-Y coordinate position translates to a screen position, to the control of devices unrelated to screen position, such as the control of remote devices. U.S. Pat. No. 5,532,753 to Buchner et al. relating to a remotecontrolled on-screen audio/video receiver control apparatus. The '753 Buchner et al. patent includes a remote controller formed as a pointing device having an operating member, such as, a mouse, a touch panel, a track ball, a joystick, a light pen, or a pointing device as described in the prior art listed therein. Additionally, the '753 Buchner et al. patent it is stated that when the user depresses the operation member initially before the control picture is displayed, the remote controller is switched from the power off or power save mode to the operation mode so as to transmit the remote control signal and to display a control picture. On the other hand, if the operation member is released, the control picture disappears and the remote controller is automatically switched from the operation mode to the power off or power save mode in a predetermined time after the operation member is released.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,528,289 to Cortjens et al. describes a method for automatically adjusting a videoconferencing system camera to center an object. In the '289 Cortjens et al. patent a user, using a mouse, control panel or joystick may command a particular action to be performed at the remote site, such as panning the remote camera to the left or right, tilting the remote camera up or down, etc. The user's actions are converted into network standard control signals and these signals are sent by a converter to the controller. The controller determines the action required at the remote site and sends signals corresponding to the action to a remote controller. In that patent it is stated that if there is no user activity, signified by a lack of activity of mouse, control panel or joystick, then a converter will send a "sleep" signal to the controller, thus causing the controller to go into a standby mode, thereby conserving power.
Although the above patents describe systems wherein a controller or device goes into a low power standby or "sleep" mode when the joystick is not in use (inactive), there is a need for a joystick that can implement a low power standby mode not only when the joystick is not in use (at rest/inactive), i.e. with the shaft in a neutral position, but additionally when in steady state active use, i.e. when the joystick is actively being used and the shaft is in a non-neutral and/or non-centered position along at least one axis.